But Adam Driver had this to say about characters in The Last Jedi, in the new issue of Vanity Fair:

I feel like almost everyone is in that rehabilitation state. You know, I don’t think that patricide is all that it’s cracked up to be. Maybe that’s where Kylo Ren is starting from. His external scar is probably as much an internal one.

As I got to thinking about that, I realized that The Force Awakens is, in fact, a much darker movie than A New Hope. I get into it more deeply in the podcast, but in brief:

Rebellion post-SW: Won major victory, only lost one planet and 27 starfighters
Resistance post-TFA: Won major victory, lost five planets including the seat of government and the Resistance’s main source of financial support, along with the majority of whatever fleet the New Republic had

Darth Vader in SW: Happy to kill the father figure who cut off three of his limbs and left him for dead
Kylo Ren: Weakened by and conflicted about his choice to kill his own actual father

Han Solo in SW: Former Imperial, abandons main protagonist only to return heroically and save said protagonist, wins a medal
Finn in TFA: Former First Order, abandons main protagonist only to return heroically; gets gravely injured while failing to complete the save

Luke in SW: Can’t wait to get off of Tatooine, not bothered too much by uncle and aunt dying because it means he gets to leave
Rey in TFA: Desperately wants to stay on Jakku, three times refuses the call to adventure due to her desire to return; is devastated when forced to face the fact that her family isn’t coming back for her

And for Rey, it gets even worse, because she gets kidnapped, then confusingly finds out she has an incredible power, and once the battle with Kylo is over, she’s got nothing left except to accept a fool’s errand to try to find the one remaining Jedi in the galaxy, who’s put himself in exile for years, and hope that this complete stranger and hermit can help her make sense of her life.

Pretty wild, right? Yes, The Last Jedi takes place right after The Force Awakens, as opposed to the three-year gap in between Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. But if you think about how things must have been right after Star Wars, you’d have to admit things were way better for our heroes and not as bad for our villains as in The Force Awakens.

Agree? Disagree? Share in the comments!

Trivia Time!

Test your knowledge of the Star Wars universe!

Yesterday’s answer: Scandocs

Today’s question: How many stormtroopers confront Cassian and his informant?